


Of Goldfish and Kind Smiles

by Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Pigeon



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, not alot, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:27:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7601608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Pigeon/pseuds/Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Pigeon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Matsukawa Issei helped Hanamaki Takahiro--and the one time he didn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Goldfish and Kind Smiles

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as me wanting small matsuhana at a festival but then I decided that I like the whole"5 times they do something 1 time they don't" trope thing  
> And I've always wanted to try it out  
> So this happened??  
> I hope it isn't too bad (ｼ;ﾟДﾟ)ｼ  
> Thank you to my wonderful friend @majorasmasktimesend on tumblr for reading this over for me<3

๑

The first time Matsukawa Issei helps Hanamaki Takahiro is at the age of seven. Hanamaki’s with his parents at a festival, wide eyes staring at the cart that's selling crepes. He’s never actually tried a crepe, but the smell alone is tempting him to beg his mother to buy him one.

So he turns around, small arm reaching out to tug on his mother’s clothing, but his hand only hits air. He frowns in confusion, fully turning around. His mother is nowhere in sight, and as he stands on his tippy toes, he finds that his father is gone as well.

People walk left and right and everyone seems to be taller than him. He’s never been alone in such a crowded place before, so he’s not exactly sure what to do. With a wobbly, broken voice, he calls out for his parents. Of course, there’s too many voices in the air. His small plea gets lost in the wind.

Clutching the bottom of his shirt with his small hands, big, fat tears well up in his eyes, lip wobbling. He squeezes his eyes closed, feeling the panic settle in, and he’s just about to wail in distress when a warm hand touches his shoulder.

He turns around, expecting to find his mother. Only, it’s not his mom. It’s a boy his age, a few centimeters smaller than himself. His eyes are wide, black hair just starting to curl.

The little boy smiles, pulling Hanamaki into a hug. Now, Hanamaki has never been hugged by a stranger, and he’s always been told not to speak to them…but…this boy is his age.

He _can’t_ be of any threat.

So with hesitant hands, he hugs the boy back, sniffling as the panic vanishes in an instant.

When they pull away, the boy grins ear to ear, “now that you’re not alone, there’s no need to cry!”

Matsukawa Issei, is the boy’s name. He introduces himself with a toothy smile, shaking Hanamaki’s hand with much enthusiasm. He’s shocked for a moment, shyly introducing himself back. And then Matsukawa is grabbing his hand, dragging him through the crowd of people until they come to a pool full of a goldfish swimming around lazily.

Matsukawa quickly digs into his pocket, handing over some money that his parents had given him. Without much talking, he begins to play the game. He catches exactly one goldfish, smiling proudly as the girl who runs the stand hands over the bag with the fish.

Turning to Hanamaki, Matsukawa hands the bag over. He tries to protest, not wanting to take the reward from his new friend. (Or, acquaintance? He’s pretty sure they’re friends. He’d like to think that they’re friends now.)

After five minutes of bickering, Hanamaki ends up with the bag with the goldfish. He smiles genuinely, mumbling a shy thank you.

And before he can say much else, or figure out how he can see the boy again, he hears someone cry out his name. His mother and father are there in a split second, pulling him into a hug and lightly scolding him about wandering off. He doesn’t bother to tell them that it was _them_ who left him behind, because he’s too busy bustling with excitement.

He points to where Matsukawa is, hopping up and down as he tells his parents about his new friend.

But when he turns around, Matsukawa Issei is already gone.

๑๑

The second time Matsukawa Issei helps Hanamaki is two weeks later. It’s unintentional, really.

Hanamaki is downstairs, swinging his tiny legs back and forth as he bites into his cookie. His parents had stepped out to go shopping, leaving him for only ten minutes.

They come in as he finishes his snack, voices filled with rage as they go at each other’s throats. Hanamaki is instantly scared, quickly hopping off the bar stool and flying up the stairs. He doesn’t want to alert his parent’s, not wanting them to turn the screaming from each other to him, so he quietly shuts his door, crawling under his bed.

He ends up dragging a pillow under with him, hugging it to his chest as he curls up. He’s not sure why they’re fighting, or why they sound so angry, but it terrifies him.

The voices travel up the stairs, loud enough to be heard through his closed door. Their shouting turns to full on screaming, so loud that he can clearly hear the insults all the way under his bed.

He feels the urge to cry immediately, shoulders shaking as he hugs the pillow tighter against himself.

He risks a look upwards, eyes catching on a small, clear bowl on his desk. The goldfish from the festival swims lazily, eating the food he had sprinkled in there not too long ago.

All at once, he’s reminded of the kind boy who whisked him away and saved him from sobbing in public. The kind boy who spent his money, giving Hanamaki the gift just so he’d be happy.

Watching the fish eat, Hanamaki feels warmth spread through his veins. It’s comforting, thinking of the friend he only met once. Watching the fish laze around.

It’s easy to ignore the screaming as he watches the fish.

He’s surprised when he wakes up the next morning, because he’s not sure when he had fallen asleep, and he’s not sure why he dreamed of the black haired hero with the kind smile.

๑๑๑

The third Matsukawa helps Hanamaki is his first year of high school.

He stands in front of the gym, his nerves set onto a whole new level. His hands shake, the application getting slightly wrinkled.

He’s not usually this nervous. But. It’s just- he’s never really been on a team with anyone he knows. His middle school team was nice, yeah, but there was no one he could truly call a friend. Just people who he worked well enough with.

And,…what if this isn’t any different? He doesn’t want to be part of a team that isn’t close. It may sound weird, but he likes to actually get to _know_ people.

While these thoughts are stirring around in his brain, another person steps up to him. A glance to the side has Hanamaki stiffening up.

Matsukawa Issei is taller than him. His hair is curler, he even has a slight undercut. The kind, carefree smile Hanamaki remembers is gone, replaced by a deadpan expression. He, too, holds an application loosely in his hands.

“You joining?” The voice is different, too. Which shouldn’t be a surprise to Hanamaki. He hasn’t seen the boy in literal years, only met him that one time. Honestly, he should’ve forgotten about the boy with the goldfish many years back. But he didn’t.

He doesn’t think he’ll _ever_ forget him.

“Mmhmm,” he hums, glancing back at the doors.

Matsukawa nods, reaching out to snatch the paper from Hanamaki’s hands. “I’ll turn it in for you,” he says, leading the way into the gym. It’s as if he knows Hanamaki is glued to the spot, his anxiety eating away at him.

“I- yeah, okay.” Hanamaki says, smiling as he holds his hand out, “Hanamaki Takahiro.”

Matsukawa grins, and it’s _different_ but it’s _nice_ , “Matsukawa Issei, nice to meet you.”

Hanamaki nods, following him into the gym. It’s okay that Matsukawa doesn’t remember him. He didn’t expect him to.

But again, because of Matsukawa Issei, Hanamaki finds his panic easing away.

๑๑๑๑

The fourth time Matsukawa helps Hanamaki is in their second year.

It’s not like he means to get hurt, really. But when he goes for a killer spike, Hanamaki lands awkwardly. His ankle twists painfully, causing his face to screw up in pain.

He’s sneaky though, plastering a smile to his face and turning to high five Oikawa, complimenting his set. There’s only about seven minutes left, he’ll be fine. It’s just a sprain, anyways.

So he lines up, making sure not to limp, making sure his face doesn’t contort in pain. He’s almost back to the line, his spot right behind Iwaizumi, when Matsukawa clears his throat.

He pauses, looking up at his friend (because yes, they are friends now. This time he’s positive about it.)

“Makki, spike another one,” he says, crossing his arms. Hanamaki instantly pales, because _of course_ Matsukawa knows.

“Mattsun, everyone has to wait in line!” Oikawa chides, hands on hips as he raises a questioning eyebrow.

“I just need to make sure of something,” Matsukawa assures, motioning for Hanamaki to go back to the net. Gritting his teeth, he turns to the net, taking a deep breath.

He starts to run, ignoring the pain shooting up his leg as he jumps. He hits the ball perfectly, but again, lands awkwardly. He can’t help the choked noise of pain that escapes his lips, eyes squeezing shut as he tries to will the pain away.

“As I thought,” Matsukawa sighs, walking up to place a hand to Hanamaki’s shoulder, “if you hurt yourself, don’t hide it.”

Hanamaki looks away stubbornly, sighing as he hears Oikawa and Iwaizumi walk up to him, both talking over one another. He ignores both of them, reaching out to grab Matsukawa’s wrist in a death like grip.

“It hurts. A lot.” He confesses, surprising the three of them with his honestly. Matsukawa then chuckles, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“Then I’ll take you to the nurse’s office.”

Hanamaki nods, taking advantage of the situation as he leans heavily against Matsukawa.

๑๑๑๑๑

The fifth time Matsukawa helps Hanamaki is later on that same year, the day Hanamaki’s parent’s finally break it off and get a divorce.

He sneaks out that night, not bothering to put on a jacket as he makes his way to Matsukawa’s house. His body shivers violently from the cool  night air, but he doesn’t care.

Matsukawa lives a block away, an eight minute walk. It’s an easy walk during the day, but a creepy one at night. But still, this does not stop him from getting to his destination.

When he reaches the familiar house, he scoops up tiny pebbles, gently tossing them at the second story window. He tosses until the window is thrown open. Having already tossed a pebble, he watches as it hits Matsukawa’s eye.

“God fucking damnit- Makki? What the _fuck_? It’s the dead of night!”

Hanamaki smiles apologetically. “Can I come up?” And well, Matsukawa was never one to say no, so he leaves his window open, retreating back to his bed. He knows Hanamaki only does things like this when it’s serious.

Making his way to the tree by Matsukawa’s house, he hauls himself up. He continues to climb upwards until he finds a sturdy branch, tightroping across it until he’s able to hop onto the roof. His slippers slide against the shingles for a moment before he catches himself, straightening up and making his way towards the open window.

He slips into the dark room, blindly walking around until his knees hit the bed. He instantly slides into the bed, curling up into the warmth. Matsukawa was already there, holding the blanket up for him. After Hanamaki gets situated, he let’s the blanket fall over the both of them.

“Wanna talk about it?” Matsukawa asks, voice thick with sleep.

Hanamaki goes silent for a few moment, listening to Matsukawa breathe in and out softly, his heartbeat a soothing lullaby.

“My parents got a divorce,” he finally chokes out, voice cracking as his eyes water. He feels Matsukawa’s arm wrap around his waist, gently pulling him closer.

“I’m sorry,” Matsukawa whispers in his ear. Hanamaki only hums, closing his eyes.

He’s not sure if friends sleep like this, or comfort one another like this…but this is just how they are. Hanamaki’s come to accept it with open arms, especially since Matsukawa seems to always have a soothing impact on him.

๑

The first time Matsukawa ever purposefully refuses to help Hanamaki is in their third year.

Hanamaki takes a deep breath, smile on his face as he makes his way through the crowds. Lunch time is spent with Matsukawa, of course, but also Iwaizumi and Oikawa. So, in order to speak to Matsukawa alone, he needs to be swift.

He dodges a group of people, quickly turning the corner. He finds Matsukawa right as he exits his class, hands in his pockets as he begins walking to their meeting place. Hanamaki quickens his pace, hopping forward to wrap his hands around Matsukawa’s arm.

“Mattsun!” He greets with a smile.

“Oh, hey,” Matsukawa smiles back, “I can already tell that you want to ask me something, so out with it.”

Hanamaki chuckles, because that’s to be expected of Matsukawa.

“Do you want to go to the festival this weekend?” He asks, mentally crossing his fingers.

(The festival where they met. The festival that Hanamaki remembers clear as day. Matsukawa may not remember it, may not remember meeting Hanamaki there, but Hanamaki remembers. He’ll _never_ forget the boy with the kind smile who became his comfort.)

A sheepish smile spreads across Matsukawa’s face as he hunches his shoulders forward. “I can’t, sorry.”

Hanamaki sighs dramatically to hide his disappointment. “Aw, man, I even managed to get reservations for two at that small restaurant you like. I could use some help getting use of these reservations.” He grins, hoping the bait would work.

Matsukawa blushes, and it’s such a foreign sight that it catches Hanamaki off guard.

“I would help you out, especially since I know you hate going out alone, but, uh,” he glances away, scratching his cheek nervously, “I kind of have a date.”

Hanamaki’s whole world stops spinning, his heart skipping a beat as his mouth hangs open slightly. Shaking his head, he plasters on a small smile.

“Aw, I didn’t know! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know how to bring it up,” he mumbles.

Hanamaki laughs, though strained, tilting his head to the side. “I understand, plus we hang out all the time, so you probably need a break from me anyways.”

Matsukawa snorts, rolling his eyes, “I suppose you’re right.”

He knows he’s joking, but it still hurts just a little.

“Take Oikawa or Iwaizumi with you, I’m sure they’d go.”

Hanamaki nods, “maybe.”

They walk in silence after that, Hanamaki’s heart breaking with every step.

The boy with the goldfish and the wide, toothy grin is grown up. And now, he isn’t only Hanamaki’s source of comfort.

And it hurts. Just a little bit.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're wondering, he named the golfish 'Kawa'
> 
> Tumblr: Seijouho


End file.
